An app to prepare you for law school and the bar

Strategically take timed practice exams for every subject tested in law school and the bar exam. Bar Essay Prep is the only bar exam simulator that provides structured access to hundreds of different fact patterns with model answers.

California Bar Essays and Performance Tests

Hundreds of practice questions with model answers from the California Bar Examination.

NCBE Multi-State Essay Examination

Hundreds of licensed practice questions and model answers from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

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California Bar Exam details

A typical california bar exam is a 2-day exam.

California Bar Exam information is subject to change without notice. Please verify with The State Bar of California Office of Admissions .

Please also reference the  NCBE Covid-19 updates page  for NCBE updates and individual jurisdiction announcements.

Bar exam details

  • Three 60-minute essay questions (in the AM)
  • Two 60-minute essay questions (in the PM)
  • One 90-minute Performance Test (in the PM)
  • Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), a 200-question, multiple-choice exam (100 questions in the AM, 100 questions in the PM)

Subjects tested

  • Constitutional Law
  • Contracts/Sales
  • Criminal Law/Procedure
  • Federal Civil Procedure
  • Real Property

California Essay Subjects

  • Business Associations (Agency and Partnership; Corporations; and Limited Liability Companies)
  • CA Civil Procedure
  • CA Community Property
  • CA Evidence
  • CA Professional Responsibility
  • CA Wills and Succession
  • Plus all MBE subjects

California Performance Test

  • “Closed universe” practical questions using instructions, factual data, cases, statutes and other reference material supplied by examiners.
  • A scaled score of 86 on the MPRE is required for admission.

Click here to learn more about the MPRE .

The MBE score is 50% of the total score, while the written portion accounts for the other 50%.

A passing score of 1,390 or greater on a 2,000 point scale is required based on the combined scores of the California Performance Test, the essay questions, and the MBE.

Reciprocity

Acceptance of mbe score.

California does not accept an MBE score from an exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

California does not provide for admission on motion. Examination is required of all applicants. Attorneys who have been licensed in another jurisdiction for four years may be eligible to sit for the attorney exam (written exam only).

Foreign law graduates and lawyers

If you are a foreign law graduate or lawyer, you may already be eligible to sit for a U.S. state bar exam with your current credentials.

California operates a relatively open policy in permitting foreign law graduates or lawyers to sit the bar examination, and does not impose restrictions to admission on grounds of nationality or residence.

Learn more about U.S. bar exam eligibility and requirements for foreign law graduates, lawyers, and U.S. LL.M. students.

BARBRI Bar Exam Digest

We compile all of the information that you need to know about the dates, format, subjects tested, deadlines, fees and more - for each U.S. state - in the free BARBRI Bar Exam Digest.

Download the Digest ›

Find the BARBRI bar prep course that’s built for you

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Full-time course | 8-10 week

Candidates with a J.D. from a U.S. law school looking for the quickest, most efficient & effective course to pass any U.S. state bar exam

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Part-time  c ourse | 6- or 10-month  

Best for candidates without a J.D. from a U.S. law school looking for the most comprehensive bar prep or students who want more study time & flexibility

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California Bar Exam: Essays

  • Performance Test
  • Multistate Bar Exam
  • Business Associations
  • Civil Procedure
  • Community Property
  • Constitutional Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Criminal Law and Procedure
  • Real Property
  • Performance Test Questions
  • Online Resources
  • Bar Review Books
  • Games and Flashcards

CA Bar Exam Essay Test Instructions:

"Your answer should demonstrate your ability to analyze the facts in the question, to tell the difference between material facts and immaterial facts, and to discern the points of law and facts upon which the case turns. Your answer should show that you know and understand the pertinent principles and theories of law, their qualifications and limitations, and their relationships to each other. Your answer should evidence your ability to apply the law to the given facts and to reason in a logical, lawyer-like manner from the premises you adopt to a sound conclusion. Do not merely show that you remember legal principles; instead try to demonstrate your proficiency in using and applying them. If your answer contains only a statement of your conclusions, you will receive little credit. State fully the reasons that support your conclusions, and discuss all points thoroughly. Your answer should be complete, but you should not volunteer information or discuss legal doctrines that are not pertinent to the solution of the problem. Unless a question expressly asks you to use California law, you should answer according to legal theories and principles of general application."

Essay Test Prep Materials

CA Bar Exam Questions and Selected Answers by Subject   (Please bear in mind that these are not model answers, but actual answers to past exams that may include some errors. Available to UC Law SF students only)

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Pass the Essays, Pass the Bar

The written portion of the California Bar Exam accounts for 50% of your grade. Our services focus exclusively on the essays, providing insider feedback, tips, and insight from our team of former California Bar Exam graders.

Countdown to the next California Bar Exam

How It Works

california bar essay prep

1. Formulate

Formulate responses to practice essay questions under timed conditions.

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Receive and review insider grading and feedback within 72 hours

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Track scores, feedback, & IRAC performance to gauge progress

Our services.

  • Practice Essays
  • Online Seminars
  • Failed Exam Review

Developed by former bar exam graders.

BarGraders Packages were specifically developed by former California Bar Exam graders to help you pass the essays. We've combined our most popular and effective services into packages designed to meet the varying needs of our testers.

Cram Session

This special program is just what you need to focus your studies for the next bar exam. Includes a Failed Exam Review with a former California bar exam grader, our Online Seminar Series, and 10 Practice Essays.

Time is of the essence, start today!

First-Timer: Essay-Plus Program

The First-Timer Essay-Study Program combines 20 Practice Essays with all 13 modules of our Online Seminar Series. Our seminar series will help you master BarGraders' 5-step technique for writing passing Bar answers, and will teach you about commonly tested issues and common cross-over subjects. Put this new strategy into practice with 20 Practice Essays.

Repeater: Essay-Plus Program

The Essay-Plus Program combines 30 Practice Essays with a Failed Exam Review where a former California bar exam grader will review and analyze your answers from a failed bar exam. Our former bar graders will help you understand your strengths and pinpoint weaknesses in your writing style and approaches. They will also help you formulate a strategy to make the next bar exam your last. Put this new strategy into practice with 30 essays.

Repeater: Essay-Ultimate Program

The Essay-Ultimate Program combines 40 Practice Essays with all 13 modules of our Online Seminar Series and a Failed Exam Review. This package provides our three flagship services at an incredible value.

More than just a raw score.

Practice Essays are the core of the BarGraders service specifically designed to help you prepare for the challenges of exam day.

Patent-Pending Technology

Using our patent-pending technology, formulate and submit essay responses under simulated exam conditions.

Simulated Testing Environment

BarGraders provides a 1 hour timed environment for each practice exam to help you prepare for the challenges of exam day.

72-Hour Turnaround Time

Within 72 hours, receive a model response, scores, feedback, and an IRAC performance breakdown from one of our former California bar exam graders.

Insider Feedback & Performance-Tracking

Understand and apply insider feedback and track your performance on a subject-by-subject basis.

Learn from insiders.

Learn a subject-by-subject approach to writing passing California Bar Exam Essays from the insiders — former California bar exam graders. Each module walks you through the company's 5-step technique designed to help you write passing Bar answers. This technique is then applied to an actual question so you can see it in action. Each module also reviews commonly tested issues, as well as common cross-over subjects.

Available Modules

  • Introduction & Essay Approach Overview
  • Business Associations
  • Civil Procedure
  • Community Property
  • Consitutional Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Criminal Procedure
  • Professional Responsibility
  • Real Property
  • Wills & Trusts

Gain invaluable insight from former Bar Exam graders.

Work directly with a former California bar exam grader to understand your failed bar exam. Find out what went wrong and what you can do to correct it and move forward. These 1-on-1 sessions are typically conducted via Skype or a phone call to minimize disruptions to your study schedule.

This review will take an in-depth look at your essay answers and may include:

  • Identifying why you receiving a failed score
  • Evaluating your IRAC techniques
  • How to write for the bar exam, not for law school
  • Study techniques for repeaters, including time management
  • Failed Exam Review sessions typically last 45 minutes

Meet 1-to-1 with former California Bar Exam graders.

Schedule an in-depth study session with a former California Bar Exam grader. These 1-on-1 sessions are tailored to meet your individual needs and are typically conducted by Skype or over the phone.

Focus areas may include:

  • Solidifying your IRAC techniques
  • Study techniques, including time management
  • Collaborating on a game plan going forward

Our Graders

All of our graders are former california bar exam graders. at bargraders, you benefit directly from our experience and knowledge. our team has decades of experience grading the bar exam and has graded thousands of bar exam essays..

california bar essay prep

Review and provide realistic grading and feedback on your Practice Essays

california bar essay prep

Work with you 1-on-1 to review essays from your prior exam, develop study strategies, and address your individual needs

california bar essay prep

Identify weaknesses in your approach and writing style

california bar essay prep

Provide constructive and meaningful feedback on how to improve your approach and IRAC techniques

california bar essay prep

Give you insider tips to help improve your scores

california bar essay prep

Start our program anytime. Work at your own pace and time frame.

Why choose bargraders.

california bar essay prep

Insider Feedback

Don't settle for a simple pass or fail. Receive constructive and realistic feedback from a California bar exam grader. Use this insider's knowledge to help you refine and improve your essay writing skills.

72-Hour Turnaround

Submit your essay response and receive scores and feedback within 72 hours. For those requiring faster turnaround times, our Essay Success Packages offer a 24-hour expedited grading option.

california bar essay prep

Web-Based Practice

Traveling between bar review courses is stressful and cumbersome. Instead, practice from anywhere and at a time that works with your schedule. Just login, take an exam, and get insider feedback.

california bar essay prep

Performance Tracking

BarGraders provides informative charts and graphs that will help you track your overall performance as well as your IRAC strengths and weaknesses on a subject-by-subject basis.

california bar essay prep

Realistic Simulation

We provide a one-hour timed environment per exam question to help you prepare for the challenges of exam day where you'll answer 3 questions in 3 hours. It's the perfect environment to practice typing essays.

Testimonials

Law firm solution, bargraders law firm solution is specifically designed for firms with multiple associates taking the california bar exam. firm-wide subscriptions allow multiple accounts, ensuring any associate in your firm can get essay exam help when they need it. contact us today to learn more..

california bar essay prep

Location Flexibility

BarGraders Practice Exams are taken online, allowing your associates to prepare from any location, at any time.

california bar essay prep

Graded by Experts

Former California bar exam graders review, grade, and provide feedback for each exam submitted within 72 hours

california bar essay prep

Firm-wide Tracking

california bar essay prep

Performance Tracker

Associates can chart their progress and identify strengths and weaknesses by subject or by skill set.

Information & Resources

california bar essay prep

Essay Trainer

View a complementary schedule outlining study strategies and goals

california bar essay prep

Practice Essay Demo

Watch the BarGraders Practice Essay Demo and evaluate before you buy

california bar essay prep

Sample Graded Essay

View a graded practice essay and see our graders in action

california bar essay prep

Helpful Links

CA Bar Exam Admissions

MBE Registration

About BarGraders

Bargraders has helped students from most of the law schools in the nation pass the california bar exam., the written portion of the california bar exam accounts for 50% of your score. pass the essays, pass the bar., despite diligent studying and knowledge of black letter law, writing passing bar exam essays is the biggest obstacle most examinees face., our technology platform tracks your performance per subject for each element of the irac., frequently asked questions.

Esquired Bar

Your Bar Exam tutor and prep course options are limitless. Whom do you trust?

Take the guided path to bar success with former grader and trusted law professor Jay Bijlani. Your Esquired bar exam prep course ALWAYS includes tutoring with – and only with – Jay!

Now Enrolling: Early Start for the July 2024 Bar Exam

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The Best Bar Exam Prep Course Comes with Firsthand Knowledge.

What does the bar grader want? How do I improve my scores? Get inside the head of the bar grader and prepare with confidence. Who else but a former bar grader and law professor would best understand the California Bar Examination’s notorious “minimum competence” standard?

Founded by a former bar grader for multiple exam administrations and who has been a tutor for over 13 years, Esquired will teach you trusted methods and effective strategies toward clear goals for your bar success through one of three programs, each consisting of personal tutoring. No matter which program you choose, you work personally with former California bar grader Jay Bijlani and NO ONE else. Your future is too precious to be outsourced!

Private, One-on-One Tutoring with Jay Bijlani.

Full, private one-on-one tutoring with former bar grader Jay Bijlani for unparalleled comprehensive and efficient study with close personal direction for optimal time management and lower stress learning.

Your Prescription for Passing the Bar Exam.

Replace fear and misinformation about the bar exam with confidence and competence, and then prove how you can lawyer on the essay, performance test and MBE sections. 

How do you get there? Esquired deconstructs the bar exam and the “minimum competence” standard from the perspective of a bar grader and provides a carefully engineered and multifaceted program for success. Your program has you in mind: your strengths, your weaknesses, your learning preferences. You, Esq.!

The Fundamentals of Bar Exam Success.

Defined goals and step-by-step approaches.

From the start, understand clearly what it takes to pass the bar exam and how to target the specific skills involved. 

First, skip the  self-proclaimed “experts” and blogs loaded with “tricks.” Learn directly from a former bar grader what it takes to be Esquired: What do the bar graders want to see on the essays and performance test? How do you raise your MBE score?

Then, use sophisticated approaches that target those defined competencies and skills across multiple subjects.

Substantive Law Designed for the Bar Grader's Eyes

Feel confident with the depth and breadth of law you are using. 

Efficient study demands comprehensive and logically constructed substantive law and other materials.  Forget distilling rules from inconsistent lectures and written materials. 

With complete consistency in substantive law structuring and terminology, all of your resources and feedback work together to promote your understanding and memorization of the rules for the essays and MBEs. 

Best of all, work with rules that are keyed to how the bar grader would hope to see them presented.

Formative Assessment

Learn where you stand with meaningful feedback given by a former bar grader.

Jay Bijlani incorporates multiple tools for your improvement. For example, on all submitted assignments, he provides a realistic bar score and detailed, pinpoint written comments identifying each problem and showing you how to fix it. During face-to-face, one-on-one sessions, Jay uses interactive exercises to target deficiencies in law and skill on all three portions of the bar exam.

Knowing you have a former bar grader and law professor at your side, focus on your weaknesses and celebrate your progress and strengths throughout.

Accountability

Know how to spend your time wisely. 

Preparing fully for the bar exam presents a variety of challenges, including: understanding and memorizing substantive law; practicing a substantial number of essay, PT and MBE questions; considering family and work obligations; staying motivated. 

Maintain the delicate balance from start to finish so you do not fall behind.  Stay on track with Esquired.

california bar essay prep

Musings of a first-generation, Korean-American attorney based in the San Francisco Bay Area

The Ultimate Guide to How I Passed the California Bar Exam

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It’s that time of year again! 3Ls everywhere are either enjoying their last semester of school ever or scrambling to learn all of Securities Regulation in the few days before finals. And somewhere in the back of their minds, the black box of bar prep looms in the distance.

I graduated from law school in May 2018, sat for the California Bar Exam in July, found out that I passed the Friday before Thanksgiving (a cruel joke of timing played by the State Bar every November), and was sworn in as an attorney in December.

As the first person in my family tree to attend law school, let alone be a lawyer, I remember all too well the feeling of self-doubt, confusion, and anxiety that set in once I started bar prep. I hadn’t taken Real Property or Evidence during law school, and I definitely believed I had forgotten everything I learned in 1L. How in the world would I learn 13 subjects in 2 months??

Now, a year later, I want to share with you the mistakes made, lessons learned, and what I would do differently if I could rewind to my first day of bar prep.

Before I begin, I’d like to give a quick shout out to Brian Hahn of Make This Your Last Time (MTYLT). I relied heavily on his Magicsheets and Approsheets , which I describe in more detail below. He’s written about virtually every aspect of preparing for the California Bar Exam, from study skills, technical breakdown of essays, and exam day mindset. Be sure to check out his website and sign up for his newsletter! (I have no financial affiliation with Brian or MTYLT. I just think his bar prep resources are great!)

I’d also like to make a very important disclaimer — my experience will not be the same as your experience, and I’m not claiming that my approach is the one and only way to pass the California Bar Exam. Rather, I hope that this post can help demystify the nuts and bolts of preparing for the exam.

What do I need to know about the California Bar Exam?

According to the State Bar, the California Bar Exam is given twice each year in February and July (click here  and here for details). The exam is given over two days and consists of the following parts:

  • Five one-hour essay questions
  • One 90-minute Performance Test
  • 200 multiple-choice questions (the “Multistate Bar Examination” or “MBE”)

The written portion of the examination (essay questions and Performance Test) is administered on the first day, with three essay questions given in the morning session and two essay questions plus the Performance Test given in the afternoon session. The MBE is administered on the second day, with 100 questions given in the morning and 100 questions given in the afternoon.

The examination covers 13 subjects, including Business Associations, Civil Procedure, Community Property, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Real Property, Remedies, Torts, Trusts and Wills and Succession.

So, the California Bar Exam consists of three parts, and I’ve listed my key takeaways regarding each part below:

  • All 13 subjects are fair game.
  • Because the essays are California-specific, you’ll need to know California law regarding these subjects.
  • Very IRAC -heavy and formulaic.
  • Designed to “test an applicant’s ability to handle a select number of legal authorities in the context of a factual problem involving a client.”
  • A Performance Test question consists of two separate sets of materials, a “file” with instructions and various client facts that will be used to solve the problem, along with a “library” of cases and/or statutes that provides the law that will be used to solve the problem.
  • Probably the most realistic, lawyer-like part of the Bar Exam because tasks may include writing a legal memorandum, persuasive brief, client letter, etc.
  • Just the MBE subjects (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Evidence, Real Property, and Torts) will be tested.
  • Because the MBE is utilized across various jurisdictions in the United States, you’ll only need to know federal law regarding these subjects.

Putting it all together, this means that you’ll need to know both California and federal law for the subjects that appear on the MBE, and you’ll only need to know California law for those subjects that appear in the essays but not on the MBE. (There’s some conversation around the extent to which you actually need to know the differences between California and federal law for the essays, but I won’t open that can of worms today.)

Crap, what if I didn’t learn these subjects during law school?

In case you were curious, the subjects I took in law school were: Corporations (which is included under Business Associations), Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Professional Responsibility, and Torts. Perhaps more importantly, the subjects I had not taken were Community Property, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, Remedies, and Trusts and Wills and Succession.

As any law student can tell you, I basically took the required 1L courses and not much more, so I was learning a crap ton for the first time. While this definitely was a challenge, I wouldn’t tell my 1L self to maximize my 2L and 3L course loads to include these missing subjects.

For one, taking these subjects during law school wouldn’t necessarily provide a strategic advantage during bar prep. The way that subjects are taught in law school is vastly different from the way that subjects are taught for purposes of the Bar Exam. In addition, I was grateful to spend the limited time I had in law school to take subjects I was actually interested in (sorry, Evidence).

Let me know if you’d like me to write a post on this point, suffice it to say that I wouldn’t freak out if you didn’t take all of these subjects during law school.

Learning to trust myself over Themis

After graduating in mid-May, I took about 1-2 weeks off to decompress from the craziness of graduation and move back home to California. Looking back on my study schedule, I see that I officially started studying on May 24.

However, after a few days, I quickly realized that the Themis study schedule wasn’t working for me. While I liked that the video lectures were broken up into 20-30 minute chunks and that my daily schedule automatically adjusted depending on my progress from the previous day, my dissatisfaction with the one-size-fits-all program pushed me to create my own study plan.

For example, I know that I am a visual learner and that I learn best by practicing. One thing I didn’t like about Themis was the way it allocated time between watching lectures, reading outlines, practicing multiple choice and essay questions, and reviewing. I also felt like the sheer number and volume of tasks was unreasonable (and honestly, counterproductive past a certain point) for the average person to complete. A simple Google search for “Themis” and “75%” will show the reality that not all students complete 100%, let alone 75%, of the program.

This isn’t to completely poo-poo Themis — I vastly prefer Themis to other bar prep courses because of its short video lecture structures and adaptive daily schedule. However, I was fortunate enough that my post-graduation employer (a big law firm) paid for my bar prep expenses and that Themis threw in a free iPad for registering with their company. (I gave my mom the free iPad, so it was a win-win for both of us!) If I was paying out-of-pocket, the calculus would have been vastly different.

All in all, the first 10 days of studying ended up being a wash because I started with Themis’ method, realized it wasn’t optimal for me, and spent a few days freaking out and reorienting myself. After doing some more research into the resources that were available, I created a new plan and got a fresh start on June 3.

What tools did I use during bar prep?

Now with all that out of the way, what was my game plan? This is where Themis comes in. If you’ve already cracked open your bar prep materials from Themis or from any other bar prep company, you’ll see that you were given a literal box of books filled with long outlines, short outlines, video lecture outlines with fill-in-the-blanks, practice questions, etc.

Spoiler alert is that I didn’t utilize any of these materials. Rather, I wanted to ensure that each tool I used during bar prep had a specific purpose that directly connected to the exam.

(1) Crash course overview (Themis video lectures)

To learn new subjects and relearn old subjects, I watched the Themis lectures at a faster speed (usually 1.5x or 1.75x) without taking any notes. The purpose of watching these lectures was to get a quick and dirty overview of the subjects, not to become an expert on the law.

This was essentially the only part of the Themis program that I used, and I definitely would not have signed up for Themis if I was paying out of pocket. I’ve heard good reviews about Barbri’s Conviser Mini Review (CMR) book as a way to learn the law on a budget, but I can’t vouch for it personally.

(2) Create an outline for each subject (Magicsheets and Approsheets)

After quickly watching the Themis lectures, I used Brian Hahn’s Magicsheets and Approsheets as a jumping off point for creating my personalized outline for each subject. Brian describes Magicsheets as “condensed outlines with 95% of the issues and rules you need to know for essays and the MBE in 5% of the length of a traditional bar outline,” and describes Approsheets as “condensed essay attack sheets (templates in checklist and flowchart formats) that help you identify the relevant issues in an essay via systematic issue checking. Go from a blank page to a finished essay or outline.”

The purposes of the Magicsheets and Approsheets were to:

  • Save time: You don’t have time to go through all 800 pages of outlines. Learn the most important law in 50 pages.
  • Find what’s important: Easy-to-spot important rules, elements, and issues (bolded or italicized).
  • Provide organization that makes sense: Nested format that promotes top-level main issues and demotes exceptions and nuances. Tables for easy comparison of related concepts when appropriate.
  • Find those pesky distinctions: Easy-to-spot jurisdictional distinctions, e.g., FRE vs. CA, ABA vs. CA, majority vs. minority law, common law.
  • Help you practice: Comprehensive issues and complete rules organized for quick reference so you can answer MBE questions, issue check for essays / know how to get an essay started, or even base your own outlines on them.

The last bullet was key for me. The Magicsheets provided a finite list of testable issues and bare bones rule statements that contained the entire universe of what I needed to know for each subject. The Approsheets further condensed and organized the information from the Magicsheets into an easy-to-follow attack outline for the essays.

So, working off the Approsheets as a skeleton outline and referencing the Magicsheets for the rules, I created an attack outline for each subject with full (or nearly full) sentence rule statements for each issue. For example, see below for a comparison of the original Approsheets Evidence outline vs. my Evidence attack outline:

Approsheets - Evidence_1

One thing I would change about my bar prep process is that I would have pulled rule statements from a single source. One of many mistakes I made during bar prep was constantly comparing different rule statements and trying to reconcile minor differences in wording to come to the “best” (whatever that means) rule statement. If anything, this added unnecessary stress to the bar prep process, because reconciling three slightly different wordings of the same rule was not an efficient use of time or energy. My advice is to pick a single source for your rule statements (whether from Magicsheets, Critical Pass Flashcards , or even your Themis or Barbri outlines) and stick with it.

Also, don’t feel pressured to have a perfect outline at this point — I continued to refer back to and refine my outlines as I practiced (see next section), and this process of practicing questions and refining my outlines is how I learned (and eventually memorized) the key issues and rule statements for the exam.

(3) Practice, practice, practice (BarEssays.com, Emanuel Strategies & Tactics, AdaptiBar)

As you can probably tell by now, watching the Themis video lectures was a small portion of my bar prep experience, and the vast majority of the time was spent outlining, practicing questions, and refining my outlines along the way.

Essays and Performance Test

For the essay questions, I subscribed to BarEssays.com , a database of “3000+ essay examples, including both high and low scoring essay answers to more than 200 different essay questions. All of our essays are actual graded and returned California Bar Exam essays and include every tested subject . We provide you with high scoring essays, low scoring essays, barely passing essays, and everything in-between.”

BarEssays.com has two tiers of subscriptions. A standard subscription provides access to the website until the conclusion of the upcoming California Bar Exam, and a premium subscription includes “model answers for every essay question tested since 2005, in addition to over 300 professional bar grader reviews of essays and performance exams in the database, all written by former official graders of the California Bar Exam . . . Every premium subscription to BarEssays.com includes a full set of the BarEssays.com Short Review Outlines, Checklists, and Essay Attack Templates.”

I got the premium subscription primarily for the model answers and professional bar grader reviews of the essays and Performance Tests. I found these resources to be incredibly helpful and worth the additional $50 to upgrade from a standard to premium subscription. I personally didn’t find the Short Review Outlines, Checklists, and Essay Attack Templates very helpful because I found the Magicsheets and Approsheets to be superior in their organization and condensation of the key issues and rule statements.

When I first started practicing essay questions, I referred back to my personalized outlines and didn’t stress about timing myself. The goal was to test my outlines against real essay questions and tweak them as I practiced more.

As I became more confident in my outlines and exam day grew nearer, I shifted to timing myself and not referring to my outlines for full 60-minute essays. Sometimes I would simply spend 10 minutes outlining my answer (not writing out the full essay) and comparing my rough outline against the model answers.

(Note: Themis offered individualized grading services and their own model answers for select essay questions, but I never utilized this service for a few reasons:

First, from a timing standpoint, I personally found it faster to compare my answers against the various graded essays and the model answers on BarEssays.com.

Second, I found it more helpful to refer to the detailed comments provided in the professional bar grader reviews of the essays and performance tests, because they are all written by actual former official graders of the California Bar Exam. In contrast, Themis only offers “a licensed attorney who grades your essays and provides you with detailed feedback.” I’m a licensed attorney, and I don’t think that my feedback on your practice essay would be nearly as helpful as former official graders’ feedback on a variety of actual essays from the exam.)

Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)

I’ll start by telling you why I didn’t use Themis’ MBE questions as my primary resource for the MBE.

First, as far as I know , most bar prep companies don’t offer “real” MBE questions, but rather offer their own made-up MBE-like questions for practice. What do I mean by “real” MBE questions? JD Advising writes that “Real MBE questions are those that the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) creates. The NCBE writes the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) questions. Many of these NCBE-released questions appeared on past exams. They are different than questions that a course makes up as they reflect the style and level of difficulty of the questions you can expect to see on the bar exam.”

In addition, Themis’ explanations of the MBE questions were subpar to the explanations provided in Emanuel Strategies & Tactics, and Themis’ data analytics were subpar to those provided by AdaptiBar (as described below).

Emanuel Strategies & Tactics is widely considered the MBE bible. Brian writes:

“It’s great (and may be the only MBE supplement you need) because it comes with 600 or so representative MBE questions that are all genuine and were previously administered (with the exception of author-written Civ Pro questions) . . . Each subject is prefaced with a discussion of the tricky areas and how to deal with them. Some subjects have an overview of the major topics. There will be tips that revolve around multiple choice in general. The 200-question practice test at the back can be done to gauge your progress sometime in the final month leading to the bar.

How to use: Read the primer for each subject, answer every question on a separate sheet, and analyze their explanation in their entirety, including (A) through (D) for each question, including questions you get correctly.

So essentially, go through the book cover to cover (which is what I did). It’s worth it. Hey, I never said you wouldn’t have to put in the work.”

I agree with the above and think Emanuel is a must-have resource for MBE questions, especially if you are on a budget and want fantastic, comprehensive explanations for why each answer choice is correct or incorrect.

I started with Emanuel and paid special attention to the explanations, which were extremely helpful in getting me familiar with real MBE questions. Then, I moved on to AdaptiBar , which includes “1,964 Questions (1,749 Licensed Questions, plus 215 Simulated Questions. NCBE OPE 1, 2, 3 & 4 included).” Note that what were previously known as “OPEs” are no longer available for separate purchase as of March 25, 2019. They’ve been replaced with a different set of study aids that have a mobile online component.

Despite the fact that AdaptiBar’s explanations weren’t as detailed or thorough as Emanuel, the explanations were still better than Themis’ explanations. Ultimately, AdaptiBar was still a worthwhile investment, especially considering the prices that NCBE charges for fewer questions on its store . Brian sums it up nicely :

“In any case, AdaptiBar includes the entire universe of real questions that were tested in actual exams. PLUS questions from NCBE’s Study Aid newly released in 2017 (including 30 actual Civ Pro questions).

Specifically, 1,530 of them make up every licensed question that was previously available through the NCBE. There are 200 Civ Pro and 15 Real Property questions that AdaptiBar’s legal team wrote. There are 210 additional questions most recently released in the 2017 Study Aid, along with answer explanations written by the AdaptiBar legal team. These Study Aid questions can be taken in 100-question formats in random (but proportional to what you’d see on the real MBE).”

For me, the key benefit of Adaptibar was its data analytics and automatic adjustment of the presentation of questions based on your previous performance:

“Turns out AdaptiBar adapts to your performance. Explains the name.

In other words, over time, it gives you more questions of the types that you suck at, and it gives you fewer questions of the types you don’t need more help with. It learns and caters to you so that you can get better practice—automatically.

This means the AdaptiBar software will help you target and shore up your weaknesses, without you having to figure them out yourself!”

(Note: I’ve heard great things about the Critical Pass Flashcards , but I didn’t get my hands on them until late in the bar prep game and didn’t end up using them very much. Some food for thought!)

Putting it all together

Whew, that was a lot of information. Give me the bullet points!

  • The California Bar Exam consists of five one-hour essay questions, one 90-minute Performance Test, and 200 multiple-choice questions (the MBE).
  • You can deviate from (or even completely abandon, as I did) the study plan prepared by your big box bar prep company.
  • For a crash course course overview, I watched the Themis video lectures at 1.5x or 1.75x speed without taking notes. Had I not signed up for Themis, I would have checked out Barbri’s Conviser Mini Review (CMR) book.
  • To create my personalized outline for each subject, I used Magicsheets and Approsheets . I continued to refine and update these outlines as I practiced.
  • To practice essays, I used BarEssays.com and my personalized outlines. To practice MBE questions, I used Emanuel Strategies & Tactics and AdaptiBar . If budget is a huge concern, I’d cut AdaptiBar first.

Parting thoughts

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m not claiming that my approach is the one and only way to pass the California Bar Exam. Rather, I hope that you can take the aspects that work for you and study in a way that works for you . Trust yourself — you didn’t get this far without getting to know yourself and your study style at least a little bit!

And in no particular order, a few parting thoughts and gentle words of advice:

  • Exercise to the extent possible. I lifted weights and/or ran every morning, which did wonders for my mental, emotional, and physical health during bar prep. Along the same vein, try to take care of your body and eat as healthy as you can!
  • Schedule in breaks every so often. I studied all day for 6 days per week and rested on Saturdays, but I know others prefer to study fewer hours each day for 7 days per week. Do whatever works for you!
  • Rely on your support system, whether that’s your family, significant other, religious community, therapist, etc. You don’t have to go about it alone!
  • Study hard and study like it’s your one and only shot, but also know that it’s not the end of the world if you don’t pass this time around. Be kind to yourself!

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BARESSAYS.COM SERVICES FOR THE CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM

For more information about why BarEssays.com is an essential study supplement for the California Bar Exam essays, read our FAQ: -- CLICK HERE TO READ THE BARESSAYS FAQ

BarEssays.com provides a database of more than 3,000 REAL examples of REAL essays and performance exams by REAL students that were actually taken during the California Bar Exam and graded by the California Bar Examiners. On BarEssays.com, you can search for any essay tested in the past decade and view REAL high and low scoring examples of that essay. BarEssays is recommended by law schools, tutors, and review courses as an essential supplement for the essay portion of the California Bar Exam and is successfully used by thousands of students annually.

BarEssays.com Standard Membership ($175)

A standard membership to BarEssays.com includes access to the essay database, featuring 3000+ real graded essays and performance exams returned from past California Bar Exams that includes a range of high and low scoring examples to every essay tested since 2005. All memberships (standard and premium) expire after the next bar exam.

The BarEssays essay database is the only service of its kind. No other review course or study program will provide you with a range of real graded high and low scoring examples for every California Bar Exam essay tested in the last decade. Typically, review courses will only provide model answers, written and heavily edited by professionals on staff. However, model answers are of limited help because they are far different from the average real high scoring essay. For this reason, review courses, tutors, and law schools recommend BarEssays as an essential supplement for any study program

BarEssays recommends that you write at least one essay each and every day . That is, print out an essay, time yourself for one hour, and write it out. After simulating your essay, search our database to look at high and low scoring essays to compare your essay to our graded examples. Learn from the mistakes on the low scoring essays. Emulate the positive aspects of the high scoring essays.

The more essays you practice, the more essays you review, the better you will become at essay writing! Through the process of self critique and examination, you will become adept at how to improve your scores. BarEssays members often report of an “aha!” moment where they understand what they need to do to write a high scoring essay.

-- CLICK HERE FOR A SCREEN SHOT OF OUR SEARCH ENGINE

-- CLICK HERE FOR A VARIETY OF SAMPLE GRADED ESSAYS

BarEssays.com Premium Membership ($225)

A premium membership includes all of the advantages of a standard membership, plus a lot of additional material:

  • Model answers for every past essay question tested on the California Bar Exam since 2005, written by a professional bar grader.
  • Professional Bar Grader Reviews - Over 300 reviews of California Bar Exam essays in the database, all written by professional bar graders, detailing in line by line “pop up” commentary why essays received specific scores and how the essay could have improved.

Note: You must install the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader to read the commentary.

Over 40 Essay Attack Templates (detailed roadmaps) for Commonly Tested Subjects

-- CLICK HERE FOR A SAMPLE ESSAY ATTACK TEMPLATE

Essay Submission Program ($99 and up) Practice Essay Grading

All members of BarEssays.com are eligible to participate in our Essay Submission Program, whereby you are able to submit your own practice essays and performance exams for detailed critique and grading by a bar exam professional at negotiated low prices.

As part of the Essay Submission Program, you can submit any essay tested on the California Bar Exam from 2002 to the present, to be graded within 48-72 hours. We receive tremendous reviews about our Essay Submission Program. The Essay Submission Program is only available to current members of BarEssays.com.

-- CLICK HERE FOR A SAMPLE GRADED PRACTICE CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM ESSAY

Live Essay Workshops Video Package of 14 Workshops Available for $249

Beginning with the October 2020 California Bar Exam, BarEssays has been conducting live essay workshops, taking students through specific essay questions and teaching how to deconstruct and answer questions in detail to receive maximum points.

The workshops are conducted by a former official grader of the California Bar Exam and long term bar exam instructor. The workshops became extremely popular and well received.

We are making available a package of 14 of the previous workshops videos and handouts for $249. This includes reviews of 24 previously tested questions and two performance exams.

**You can find detailed information about each workshop video at this link (click here).

**You may view a free sample community property workshop at this link (click here).

If you are a BarEssays member, click on this link to purchase access to the workshop videos. If you are not a BarEssays member, email us to purchase access to the previous essay workshops.

Future Live Essay Workshops

In addition to the videos of previous workshops videos, we will be conducting live workshops for each new examination. Announcements of these workshops will be sent to all BarEssays members and in the most popular California Bar Exam Facebook group.

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The Custom Package is customized for each individual applicant's bar preparation needs. Please refer to the custom enrollment agreement sent by CA Bar Style with enrollment service details.

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ABOUT THE CREATOR

“There has never been an Applicant I have met that could not pass the CA Bar Exam. Every single CA Bar Exam Applicant has the potential and capability to pass the exam. What is lacking is a keen understanding of what the Examiners are looking for, approach of how the law is tested and an understanding of an Applicant’s own individual areas that need improvement.”

Shana Karpeles has been tutoring CA Bar Exam Applicants since 2010. To date, she has tutored over 4,500 First-Time, Repeat and Attorney Applicants and has helped hundreds of Bar Exam Takers achieve their dream of passing the CA Bar Exam.

“She began her journey to becoming a bar tutor and attorney in 1999 when she enrolled at the University of Southern California and majored in political science. At the University of Southern California, Ms. Karpeles began tutoring college students on how to write college essays and was awarded the Unruh Scholar Honor after writing a fifty-page essay on the constitutionality of religious symbols on public property.

INCLUDED WITH EVERY SUBSCRIPTION

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Our own focused and concise substantive law outlines, flashcards, mnemonics, substantive law support, all essays and performance tests and our own model answers to all written submissions. Over 50 essay approaches on how to write for every possible tested area of the exam.

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Get Detailed Information About The California Bar Exam Including Schedules, Grading, Reciprocity, Fees, Common Questions & More.

California Bar Exam Essay Questions

The CA Essay portion of the exam consists of five essay questions. This part is designed to measure an applicant's ability to analyze legal issues arising from fact situations.

Answers are expected to demonstrate the applicant's ability to analyze the facts of the question, to tell the difference between material facts and immaterial facts, and to discern the points of law and fact upon which the question turns. The answer must show knowledge and understanding of the pertinent principles and theories of law, their qualifications and limitations, and their relationships to each other.

The answer should evidence the applicant's ability to apply the law to the given facts and to reason in a logical, lawyer-like manner from the premises adopted to a sound conclusion.

An applicant should not merely show that they remember the legal principles, but should demonstrate their proficiency in using and applying them.

California Performance Test

California does not use the Multistate Performance Test (MPT), but rather drafts its own 90-minute performance test section.

California's performance test question is designed to test an applicant's ability to understand and apply a select number of legal authorities in the context of a factual problem.

The question consists of a file and library with instructions advising the applicant what tasks should be performed.

In addition to measuring an applicant's ability to analyze legal issues, the performance test question requires applicants to:

  • Sift through detailed factual material and separate relevant from irrelevant facts, assess the consistency and reliability of facts, and determine the need for and source of additional facts;
  • Analyze the legal rules and principles applicable to a problem and formulate legal theories from facts that may be only partly known and are being developed;
  • Recognize and resolve ethical issues arising in practical situations;
  • Apply problem-solving skills to diagnose a problem, generate alternative solutions, and develop a plan of action;
  • Communicate effectively, whether advocating, advising a client, eliciting information, or effectuating a legal transaction.

The performance test answer is graded on the applicant's responsiveness to instructions and on the content, thoroughness, organization and persuasiveness of written tasks.

Multistate Bar Exam (MBE)

The MBE, which is administered on Wednesday, is developed and graded by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).

This portion of the examination is an objective 6-hour examination containing 200 multiple-choice questions, which is divided into two 3-hour sessions during which 100 questions are administered.

The MBE tests 7 subjects: civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law & procedure, evidence, real property, and torts.

See our MBE Prep Course and our MBE Practice Questions for addtional MBE resources (included in all of our comprehensive bar exam review courses ).

2023 Filing Deadlines & Fees

When is the california bar exam in 2023 & 2024.

Feb 21-22, 2023

Timely Filing: Nov 1, 2022

Final Filing: Jan 2, 2023

Jul 25-26, 2023

Timely Filing: Apr 3, 2023

Final Filing: May 15, 2023

Feb 27-28, 2024

Timely Filing: TBD

Final Filing: TBD

Jul 30-31, 2024

How Much Does the California Bar Exam Cost?

What is the california bar exam schedule like.

The California bar exam is a two-day exam administered twice a year, with the MBE given on the last Tuesday/Wednesday of February and July.

What Subjects Are Tested On The California Bar Exam?

Mbe subjects.

  • Civil procedure
  • Constitutional law
  • Criminal law & procedure
  • Real property

Essay Subjects

  • Business associations
  • Community property
  • Professional responsibility (California and ABA)

CA Bar Exam Grading & Scoring Process

A minimum scaled score of 1390 out of 2000 is required to pass.

  • Written: 50%

Required MPRE Score: 86

Results for the February exam are released in May.

Results for the July exam are released in November.

How many times can you take the California Bar Exam?

There is no limit to the number of times you can take the California bar exam other than the fact that there are only two administrations per year, one in February and one in July.

Test takers may take the California bar exam as many times as they choose.

California Bar Exam Reciprocity

If you took the bar exam in another state, there are only a few ways to practice in California without taking its bar exam.

MBE Transfer

California does not accept MBE scores from a bar exam taken in another jurisdiction.

Admission on Motion

California does not allow for admission on motion, which means every attorney wishing to enter the bar must pass some type of examination, either the state bar, or, for practicing attorneys, the "Attorney's Examination."

The "Attorneys' Examination" is the California Bar Examination for which attorney applicants may apply, provided they have been admitted to the active practice of law in a United States jurisdiction at least four years immediately prior to the first day of administration of the examination and have been in good standing during that period.

The Attorneys' Examination includes essay questions and performance tests of the General Bar Examination but not its multiple-choice questions (i.e. MBE).

How do I Contact the California Bar?

The State Bar of California

Office of Admissions

180 Howard St.

San Francisco, CA 94105

https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions

[email protected]

Phone: 415-538-2300

california bar essay prep

BarMax CA Course Structure & Features

Comprehensive & concise.

BarMax California includes the 14 major exam topics, corresponding to the topics tested on the exam. We then divide each topic into 7-8 subtopics to make the study material easier to absorb.

Superior Content

Each subtopic includes an in-depth outline, an audio lecture from a Harvard-educated law professor, and when appropriate, numerous flashcards and multiple-choice MBE questions from previous exams. You will also receive the outines in printed hardcopy format.

Instant Access

When you enroll in BarMax California your study materials are available instantly so you can start immediately and study at your pace. Plus, there are no additional fees to access the full course after the exam.

Essay Grading

You will also receive 10 free writing critiques (performance tests or essays). Additional critiques can be purchased a la carte. Our former bar graders ensure you receive accurate and effective criticism.

Included with BarMax CA

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Exclusive LIVE Bar Exam Essay Workshops

Join us for these one-time workshops that provide key techniques and strategies for the bar exam!

LIVE Uniform Bar Exam Essay Workshop: January 13, 2024, 11:00 AM ET (8:00 AM PT)

Live california bar exam essay workshop: january 14, 2024, 2:00 pm et (11:00 am pt).

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JD Advising’s Bar Exam Essay Workshops

Learn key techniques and strategies you need to write stellar essays on the bar exam!

Led by an experienced bar exam course instructor, this small-group session will:

  • Cover essential essay writing tips and techniques including issue-spotting, IRAC structure, and allocating time effectively.
  • Walk through two actual past essay questions from start to finish—issue-spotting, outlining, writing, and self-grading.
  • Provide strategies for self-assessment so you can critique your own practice essays like a pro.
  • Include opportunities throughout for live Q&A so you can get specific questions answered in real time.

After the workshop, you will have the opportunity to submit two of your own essay answers for detailed written feedback from a tutor.

With this hands-on essay writing instruction and personalized feedback, you’ll gain the skills and confidence needed to write organized, analytical bar exam essays that showcase your knowledge.

The interactive format with tailored coaching sets this workshop apart, giving you the edge you need to tackle MEE essays on test day.

Spaces are limited for this live online workshop so reserve your spot today!

What Our Bar Exam Essay Workshop Offers:

  • Detailed instruction on how to structure and execute your bar exam essays, no matter the subject or topic
  • Time-tested techniques for raising your score, even when you might not know the answer
  • Real, tested MEE or California Essay Exam questions
  • Live instruction and the ability to ask questions in a small group format.

We work with:

American Bar Association Law Stuent Division

Why The MEE Mastery Class is Essential

High-quality essay techniques.

Proven highly effective on the Uniform and California Bar Exams.

Self-Assessment

We teach you how to evaluate your practice essays on your own.

Live Expert Instructors

Learn from the best in the business.

Real Questions

We cover previously tested questions, so you know how to proceed on your exam.

Expert Feedback

Each attendee will have the opportunity to submit two pre-selected MEEs or California Essay Exam questions for grading by our expert bar exam graders. You will receive feedback from our graders on your essays!

The Elite Choice

Top law firms and acclaimed law schools vouch for the quality and effectiveness of our bar exam materials. Boost your odds of passing with this exclusive workshop.

Event Details

  • COST: $599.99 $499.99
  • Format: LIVE Uniform Bar Exam Essay Workshop: Saturday, January 13, 2024, 11:00 AM ET (8:00 AM PT) Not to be recorded.
  • LIVE California Bar Exam Essay Workshop: Sunday, January 14, 2024, 2:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT)  Not to be recorded.
  • Duration: Two hours
  • Feedback: Each attendee will have the opportunity to submit two pre-selected MEEs or California Essay Exam questions for grading by our expert bar exam graders.
  • Small group: We are limiting the size of these workshops, so sign up today!

Payment options: We accept credit card, cash, check, and also offer payment plans. Secure your spot now!

Sign up for our highly regarded workshop now!

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From the Author of the Perennial Amazon #1 Best Seller Bar Exam Essay Rules!

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Early start program - free, will run from april 3 to may 3, (put early start as subject), tired of all of the bar prep bull so was i..., pass the california bar exam without having to auction a kidney.

We all know.  The California Bar Exam is likely the most difficult bar exam on the planet.  After digging a quarter-million dollar education hole, now you need to dump another $4K for a program to prepare you for what you just spent three years preparing for?  California Bar Exam preparation doesn't need to be so hard.  With a little bit of guidance and a lot of hard work, you can get there without spending a fortune.  

I'll show you how to study the right stuff, not all of the distracting fluff. 

Prep Smarter

After dutifully completing Big-Box and failing, I wrote my own self-study plan, made use of three study aids, and passed the exam on the cheap.  Did it require long hours?  You bet.  Did I lose sleep?  You bet. But did it work?  You bet.  It worked for me, and if you read my book reviews on Amazon, you'll see that it worked for many others as well. Hint - discount code for Baressays.com or AdaptiBar.com? Good thinking, two of the most important study aids on the market - drop a line in the comment box and I will send you a discount code.

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A week after I passed the Bar Exam, I compiled the notes I used for self-study, then packaged them up and tossed them on Amazon.  Within 24 hours, my rulebook, California Bar Essay Rules 2021, took the 

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join my facebook group for a rule a day deep-dive

Don't like reading get the book on audio, full-contact bar prep course.

Looking to pay a fortune for a password to a library of Bar Prep videos?  

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  • Expect me to be in your face, tracking your MBE scores.  
  • Expect me to be assigning your essays on a weekly calendar.  
  • Expect to have my phone number on speed dial, and near-instant replies to text 
  • I'll expect you to work.  
  • I'll expect you to stay off Facebook.  
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Once the check clears, they will leave you alone, don't worry.

Program Details

  • Live Lectures Twice a Week over Zoom, 31 Classes in Total
  • Starts with an MBE Excellence Class, setting the stage continuous MBE improvement
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  • Writing Week - We will set a foundation and build up from nothing to Esq.
  • PT Week - It's just a puzzle, everyone should ace the PT.
  • Program plows through 3,000 MBE questions and 10 Years' Worth of Essays.
  • 8 Bar Essay Speed Dating Events, designed to pound in rule elements. 
  • PT Speed Dating Class - A visual guide to the many PT types, and an attack plan for all
  • Culminates and a Bar Essay Boot Camp, where we hit 13 essays in one low-stress day.
  • Six California Attorneys on staff serve as mentors and graders during the process
  • One on One Essay Grading over Zoom - we grade as many as necessary, you decide.
  • Classes are recorded, links provided in case you can't make the live lecture.
  • You can work, you can be a foreign attorney, you can have a life and family, and you can pass the California Bar Exam.
  • Pass the exam without once hearing "if you don't do XYZ, you will fail."  
  • And you can do it without the stress, without the 18 hours of studying per day guilt trip, and without the $5,000 or more price tag.

Full Course Reviews

An instant hit, Ed's rule books took over the #1, #2 and #4 positions on the Amazon Hot New Release list within 48 hours of publication.  This was just the beginning...

Get the new Flashcard App! All the Rules at Your Fingertips

 Bar prep is heating up, if you've started already, good on you, there are a pile of students still getting through their 3L semester right now, you'll be way ahead of them if you're already moving.  In support of that, if you'd like a copy of the most frequently tested bar exam rules in audio format, I'm glad to send them along free of charge.   I listened to the rules everywhere, all the time, it made a difference for me, I'm sure.  To get a copy, please send me an e-mail with "Audio" in the subject line, [email protected] , and I'll shoot the file over to you.  

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IMAGES

  1. California Essay Frequency Analysis

    california bar essay prep

  2. Chapter 2: California Bar Exam Essay Tips

    california bar essay prep

  3. California Essay Frequency Analysis

    california bar essay prep

  4. How to Pass CA Bar Essays

    california bar essay prep

  5. 2023 California Bar Exam Course: Complete Bar Review

    california bar essay prep

  6. CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM ESSAY GUIDE Part 9

    california bar essay prep

VIDEO

  1. PREPARING FOR THE JULY 2023 CA BAR EXAM WITH CA BAR STYLE

  2. Free BarMD California Essay Workshop: Contracts

  3. Essay Testing for California Bar Exam (Real Property) Q5 February 1991

  4. California Bar Exam Prep

  5. California Bar Exam Pattern Explained in 50 seconds

  6. TORTS

COMMENTS

  1. California Bar Exam Essay Guide

    Chapter 3: California Bar Exam Essay Frequency Chart: We show you exactly when each California Bar Exam subject has been tested so you can get a visual idea of the highly tested areas of law, plus the less tested areas of law. Chapter 4: Agency and Partnership. Chapter 5: Civil Procedure. Chapter 6: Community Property.

  2. California Bar Exam Review Course

    California State Bar. 180 Howard St. San Francisco, CA 94105. 415-538-2000. Bar Exam Format. The California Bar Exam is a two-day exam. Day 1: Three Essays covering California-specific and Multistate law; PM: Two Essays covering California-specific and Multistate law and one California Performance Test (CPT).

  3. Past Exams

    Exam Preparation Information; Laptop Computers; Testing Accommodations ... California Bar Examination. Examination Questions. February 2024 February 2023 ... July 2017: February 2016: July 2016: February 2015: July 2015: February 2014: July 2014: February 2013: July 2013: February 2012: July 2012: Essay Questions and Selected Answers. February ...

  4. California Bar Exam Essays

    With each premium subscription to BarEssays.com, you receive a complete set of California Bar Exam Short Review Outlines, Checklists, and Essay Attack Templates. The BarEssays.com search engine allows you to browse essays by subject, essay score, handwritten/typed essays or examination year and includes links to officially released answers.

  5. California Study Guides

    Optimize Your California Bar Exam Prep. Smart study tools to simplify & optimize your study time by helping you focus on the highly tested topics and rules. Prioritize; ... Every topic tested on those California Bar Exam essays is compiled here! The 80/20 Rule in Action. We are a firm believer in the 80/20 Rule developed by Italian economist ...

  6. Bar Essay Prep

    Bar Essay Prep is the only bar exam simulator that provides structured access to hundreds of different fact patterns with model answers. Download on mac ... California Bar Essays and Performance Tests. Hundreds of practice questions with model answers from the California Bar Examination. Learn More.

  7. Chapter 2: California Bar Exam Essay Tips

    Two California Bar Exam essay questions in two hours during the middle portion of your bar exam preparation. Three California Bar Exam essay questions in three hours toward the end of your bar exam preparation. Some students also find it helpful to take a full simulated "essay day" before the California Bar Exam. To do this, we suggest that ...

  8. California Bar Exam Information and Details

    Extended Bar Prep. Part-time course | 6- or 10-month. Best for candidates without a J.D. from a U.S. law school looking for the most comprehensive bar prep or students who want more study time & flexibility. See important California Bar Exam information including dates, details, scoring, reciprocity, subjects tested and more here.

  9. Essays

    Unless a question expressly asks you to use California law, you should answer according to legal theories and principles of general application." Essay Test Prep Materials. CA Bar Exam Questions and Selected Answers by Subject (Please bear in mind that these are not model answers, but actual answers to past exams that may include some errors ...

  10. BarGraders : Pass the Essays. Pass the Bar

    Only 31.4% of California bar exam takers passed in February 2019, the second lowest pass rate in 35 years. On average, 2 out of every 10 exam takers from the top law schools in the country fail the California bar exam. In California, essays account for 39% of the overall grade compared to 35% for the MBE and 26% for the Performance Exam.

  11. PDF California Bar Examination

    This publication contains the five essay questions from the July 2022 California Bar Examination and two selected answers for each question. The selected answers are not to be considered "model" or perfect answers. The answers were assigned high grades and were written by applicants who passed the examination after the First Read.

  12. California Bar Exam

    California Attorney Bar Review Course. The online video course is designed to prepare attorney applicants for the California Attorney Bar Exam. Qualified applicants are only required to take the written portion of the exam consisting of five 1-hour long essays and one 90-minute performance test.

  13. California Bar Exam Prep with Former Grader Jay Bijlani

    Formative Assessment. Learn where you stand with meaningful feedback given by a former bar grader. Jay Bijlani incorporates multiple tools for your improvement. For example, on all submitted assignments, he provides a realistic bar score and detailed, pinpoint written comments identifying each problem and showing you how to fix it.

  14. California Bar Exam: Instructions for Essay Questions and Performance Test

    Essay Questions. The instructions for the essay questions on the California Bar Exam are as follows: Your answer should demonstrate your ability to analyze the facts in the question, to tell the difference between material facts and immaterial facts, and to discern the points of law and fact upon which the situation turns. Your answer should ...

  15. My Ultimate Bar-Prep Guide: How I Passed the CA Bar Exam While Working

    7am: wake-up, 20 Adaptibar questions, start work. 12-1pm: lunch + Adaptibar practice set, or 1 set of flash-cards (rules), or 1 practice essay. 5pm-6pm: hard stop on work, walk the dog while listening to Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast, dinner. 7pm-11pm: practice essays, Adaptibar sets / lecture videos, memorize flash-cards.

  16. The Ultimate Guide to How I Passed the California Bar Exam

    So, the California Bar Exam consists of three parts, and I've listed my key takeaways regarding each part below: Five one-hour essay questions. All 13 subjects are fair game. Because the essays are California-specific, you'll need to know California law regarding these subjects. Very IRAC -heavy and formulaic.

  17. California Bar Exam Essays

    Live Essay WorkshopsVideo Package of 14 Workshops Available for $249. Beginning with the October 2020 California Bar Exam, BarEssays has been conducting live essay workshops, taking students through specific essay questions and teaching how to deconstruct and answer questions in detail to receive maximum points.

  18. PDF California Bar Examination

    This publication contains the five essay questions from the July 2021 California Bar Examination and two selected answers for each question. The selected answers are not to be considered "model" or perfect answers. The answers were assigned high grades and were written by applicants who passed the examination after the First Read.

  19. CA Bar Essay Approaches

    Shana Karpeles has been tutoring CA Bar Exam Applicants since 2010. To date, she has tutored over 4,500 First-Time, Repeat and Attorney Applicants and has helped hundreds of Bar Exam Takers achieve their dream of passing the CA Bar Exam. "She began her journey to becoming a bar tutor and attorney in 1999 when she enrolled at the University of ...

  20. California Bar Exam Information 2024

    California Bar Exam Essay Questions. The CA Essay portion of the exam consists of five essay questions. This part is designed to measure an applicant's ability to analyze legal issues arising from fact situations. ... See our MBE Prep Course and our MBE Practice Questions for addtional MBE resources (included in all of our comprehensive bar ...

  21. Bar Exam Essay Workshop

    Free Early Bar Prep (5 Mins a Day) Free 3L Bar Exam Primer Course; On Demand Course Preview; Law School. Free Law School Prep Course; Law School Study Aids; ... LIVE California Bar Exam Essay Workshop: Sunday, January 14, 2024, 2:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT) Not to be recorded. Duration: Two hours;

  22. PDF California Bar Examination

    Answer according to California and ABA authorities. FEBRUARY 2024 ESSAY QUESTIONS 4 AND 5. California Bar Examination. Answer both questions; each question is designed to be answered in one (1) hour. Also included in this session is a Performance Test question, comprised of two separate booklets, which is designed to be answered in 90 minutes.

  23. California Bar Examination Studies

    California Bar Exam preparation doesn't need to be so hard. With a little bit of guidance and a lot of hard work, you can get there without spending a fortune. ... California Bar Essay Rules 2021, took the #1 Position (paperback) and the #2 Position (kindle) on the Amazon Hot New Release list. Not long after it reached the #1 Best Seller ...